Signs, Traffic and Trains just some of the topics covered

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SAVE THE DATE – FEBRUARY 26 AT 7PM CITY HALL – ALL ABOARD FLORIDA WORKSHOP specifically to answer the questions asked by Palm Beach Gardens in this letter by Mayor Premuroso.   It is hoped that the AAF spokespeople will address only these specific questions and not make another general presentation.

The City Council meeting had technical difficulties on February 5th.  The displays were down, so minimal physical visual aids were used for each of the agenda items. The presentations for the items will be made available on the City’s website on Monday.  Nevertheless, a lot was covered in the meeting.

Throughout the meeting, as at the last two, members of the Council lamented the passage of term limits either overtly or indirectly. It was also assumed by all on the Council that Councilman Levy would obviously be re-elected and become the sole pool of knowledge and wisdom in the coming years.

All Ordinances and Resolutions passed 5:0.

• Human Signs – While 4 people spoke against the proposed changes (Iris Scheibl, Jamie Gonzalez, Julie Poos, and Susan Cohen) 3 of which were small business owners or potential owners who depended on sign-wavers for consumers to find their stores, the Council was unanimous and adamant that Human Signs posed a significant danger to the public and were causes of accidents waiting to happen and must be stopped now. They did request that staff contact those who spoke and other potentially affected owners to see if a timeframe compromise could be reached somewhere between 12 days total and 365 days – which was definitely out, and that 2nd reading should reflect that change. (One of the speakers mentioned that Frank Cerabino had written a humorous piece on the subject entitled Curb on Human Signs is Aimed at Hiding Poor.  Perhaps he was the one who truly got to the heart of the matter…)

• Gas Station Signs – staff worked with the gas station owners and came up with signage that they (and the Council) believe meets the goal of informing the customers without the clutter and confusion of the County passed ordinance requirements. They will bring it as an Ordinance for second reading in March, in order to have passage by April. It was suggested that the County look at the City’s solution and perhaps adopt the modifications into the County’s ordinance.
• Fire Station No. 2 replacement – staff presented all the paperwork and forms as if they were a non-governmental entity. All were congratulated on their team working relationship.
• Nativity Lutheran Church was granted a two year time extension on their modular buildings and complimented on their fine landscaping and maintenance of those buildings, as well as their good works.
• The Central Gardens PCD plan to replace a 57,500 square foot retail center and 40,784 sq ft office building with a 140-bed Assisted Living Facility was hailed as a marked improvement as it would significantly reduce projected traffic on the Central Blvd/Hood Rd intersection by 54%. The requested 75 parking spaces would also be significantly less than the 200-250 spaces required for the already approved retail/office complex.

Comments from the Public included:

• Kevin Easton and Carol Courtney from the 40th Terrace/Sunset neighborhood, expressed their frustration with continued issues and perceived poor communications
• Sal Faso of the North County Neighbohood Coalition (NCNC) described an upcoming vote (2/11 at 9am – see agenda here ) by the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) to import expired pharmaceuticals from out of state to be burned at the new incinerator.  He was asking that the City speak out against importing the trash.  While the Council did not pass any kind of resolution, they volunteered Council member Levy to attend the meeting and express technical objections to the proposal.
• Drama was anticipated – at least by media with respect to Avenir – which was not on the agenda.  Former County Commission Karen Marcus and Jupiter Inlet Colony Commissioner Chip Block, along with others opposing Avenir were planning to speak but did not do so. But Jack Weir spoke on behalf of the project, and Rosa Schechter of Avenir Holdings invited the Council to visit the actual site and observe how degraded it is.   Tony Doris covered this in his article Marcus Holds Fire on Avenir .